Charles Wote, Juba
The Joint Transitional Security Committee — the body in charge of uniting South Sudan’s armed forces — has this week called for the demotion of a number of Army Generals after identifying the number of static, underperforming officers.
This advice was issued in accordance with the basic criteria of the South Sudanese military, which includes being aged between 18 and 65 and medically fit.
Despite this, the number of senior staff officers was found to be unacceptably high.
“If you are talking about a battalion, it must be led or commended by a Colonel and Deputised by Lieutenant Colonel, and it must compose of three companies each also commanded by a Major and so on,” said Major General Olaw Adiang, head of secretariat of the Joint Transitional Security Committee
“If you have more Colonels and more Lieutenant colonels and more Major Generals, that means this force is not in a military formation.”
The Revitalised Peace Agreement of 2018 set out plans for a permanent national army of 83,000 soldiers. Training began. earlier this year, with graduation set for coming weeks.
Comments